Death is Nothing
by Lady Taliesin
Summary: Post OOTP. Harry is still struggling to get over the loss of a certain someone when he discovers that the past has a way of repeating itself...warning, SPOILERS! Please R&R, no slash.
1. Slices of Death

_A/N_ - Hello! First off, I'd like to say thanks for reading my fic, and I'm gonna warn you that this will be short - only 5 chapters long. And yes, in case you hadn't already noticed, it is another post ootp harry-veil-sirius fic (and no, there's no slash). It's as error proof as I could make it, and I've tried to make it as original as possible. That being said....

If anybody reading this is one of my reviewers from my other fic, TwoWay Mirrors, I'd like to warn you that this is **not** a humor fic - au contraire, I'm trying to write it so that by chapter 4 people will be sobbing hysterically and unable to read any further. Probably won't happen, but I'm trying. I like to explore different genres and this is my attempt at action/angst. You have been warned!

Alright - time for the disclaimer. JK Rowling owns everything you recognize, including the wording in the dream Harry has in the latter part of this chapter (with the exception of the last paragraph). The quotes belong to the people who, er, said them...(Epicurus, Edgar Allan Poe, and Madam Swetchine, in that order).

_**Death is Nothing**_

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 1: Slices of Death

_Sleep, those little slices of death, how I loathe them._

_- Edgar Allan Poe_

_We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more._

_- Madame Swetchine_

Harry leaned back against the tree, tilting his head back slightly so the wind could dance across his face, and closed his eyes. More than anything right now he wanted to sleep, to _really_ sleep, without fear of what he'd see when he dreamed.

"Oi! Big D! It's Potter!" Harry groaned inwardly and opened his eyes. Dudley and his gang were standing at the other end of the park, large rocks clutched in their hands and stupid grins plastered over their faces as they started towards him. Last year Harry would have welcomed the chance to humiliate Dudley in front of his friends, but now he wanted nothing so much as to be left alone.

He didn't bother standing up as they grouped around him. Glancing up, he saw Dudley, a cornered look on his large, piggish face, glance around as though looking for some way out, and Harry managed a small, humorless grin. "What, done vandalizing the park already? It's not even 7:00 yet."

"You'll speak when spoken to, Potter." said Gordon mulishly, a look of brutish delight on his face as he stepped in front of Harry menacingly. Harry looked up at him, unperturbed.

"What, wait for you lot to say something? We'd be here 'til midnight."

It took Gordon a second to understand what Harry had said – when he did, he stepped forward and growled threateningly, but was cut off by a light, pleasant voice.

"Good evening." A man stepped out of the shadows behind Harry, his hands in the pockets of a rather shabby overcoat and a weary smile on his face.

Harry's heart leapt. "Hullo, Professor Lupin."

"Who're you?" asked Dudley rudely. He, Peirs, Dennis, and Gordon were all eyeing Professor Lupin with a kind of disdainful scorn; not one of them seemed to have noticed the fact that Harry had called him Professor.

"Remus Lupin." he said, smiling very slightly as Harry stood up to stand beside him. "I am, er, _was_ a teacher of Harry's at school.

Dudley seemed to have finally remembered that he had seen Lupin before. A look of fear coming into his tiny eyes, he backed up almost unthinkingly, then stepped forward again, as though afraid of what his friends would say if he ran away.

Gordon, who hadn't noticed this, said boorishly "Then why are you here?" It was apparent from his tone that he thought Lupin, whose dress was threadbare, to say the least, didn't belong in neat, prim, well-groomed Little Whinging.

Harry snarled and started forward, but Lupin placed a warning hand on his shoulder and said pleasantly "I really do not think that is any of your business, –"

"Gordon."

"Gordon." finished Lupin with a small smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us...," He turned around and walked back the way he had come, Harry close behind him. As soon as they had struck the winding, tree-lined path that ran down the middle of the park they could hear Dennis, Gordon, Piers, and Dudley erupt in jeering laughs, talking scathingly of "Potter and that beggar tramp".

Harry clenched his fists angrily. "I hate them...," he muttered under his breath, striding forward to walk side-by-side with Lupin, who smiled wryly.

"Don't worry; I'm used to it by now."

"Yeah, but –"

Lupin waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it." he repeated. "So, how have you been?" He gazed at Harry intently, and Harry, unsure of what to say, shrugged.

"Alright." he lied. "I'm...alright." Lupin frowned but didn't say anything. After a moment Harry said "Why'd you come here, Professor? I mean, I'm glad to see you and everything, but...."

Lupin laughed softly. "What, you thought we'd just abandon you with the Dursley's for your birthday? I came to your aunt and uncle's house looking for you – your aunt said I might find you here. She seemed rather glad to send me away from the house, to be honest." Lupin shook his head. "She's nothing like Lily....Anyway, the Weasleys, Ms. Granger, Tonks, and virtually everybody in the Order, with the exception of our esteemed Potion's Master, wish you a happy 16th birthday, and look forward to seeing you soon. Not tonight," he added, responding to the question in Harry's eyes. "Not yet...but soon, I promise. And," he said, after a short pause, "I wanted to see how you were doing."

Harry's heart sank. He had been expecting this, of course, but now Lupin had actually said it.... "Like I said, I'm fine." he said, in a voice of forced cheerfulness that didn't deceive either of them. "Really."

"Are you sure?" asked Remus, looking at him closely.

"I –" But Harry found he couldn't finish the sentence. "Well, no, I guess I'm not, but I'm...better."

Remus nodded, and they walked on in silence for about a minute. The sky overhead was growing steadily darker, and up and down the street ahead streetlamps were sputtering into life. "May I tell you a story, Harry?" asked Remus at last, not looking at Harry but at a small pond in the middle of the path ahead that reflected the crescent moon.

Unsure of where this was leading, Harry nodded. Remus sighed. "16 years ago your mother, father, Sirius, and I were members of the original Order. Our headquarters were at Hogwarts then – I'd had to leave a meeting early one day, because there was a full moon that night." Remus shivered very slightly. "Lily, James, and Sirius stayed for a while later, talking to Dumbledore and a few other members of the Order." Remus smiled faintly. "I found out what happened next from James and Sirius afterwards. James and Sirius were talking to Hagrid, Lily with Gideon Prewett, when Arabella Fig burst out of Dumbledore's fireplace." Remus glanced over at Harry, who, though he had no idea where any of this was going, was listening raptly all the same. "She was supposed to have been baby-sitting you that night, and Lily was a bit upset when she saw her there – however, she wasn't near as distressed as Arabella, who was frantic." Remus gave another small smile. "Apparently when she was refilling your bottle Death Eaters broke in and kidnapped you."

"What?! Death Eaters –"

"The whole room was, of course, instantly in an uproar." continued Remus, a light smile playing across his face. "Lily was sobbing hysterically, James was in shock, and Sirius –" Remus stopped walking and looked at Harry, his voice softer and somehow gentler, "– Sirius grabbed his cloak, wand, and a handful of floo powder, and before anyone else had quite realized what had happened he had gone to your home to try and find you." The sky was almost pitch-black now, and overhead the stars glinted pale white. They had stopped before the pond, it's still surface broken only by the sighing wind, and Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder, bent down slightly to look him in the eye, and said softly "It wasn't your fault, Harry. He would have done the same for you. He _did_ do the same for you."

Harry found that he could only nod and say huskily, "Was I really kidnapped by Death Eaters?"

Remus smiled and straightened. "No," he said, turning around and starting back towards Privet Drive, "He found you in the guest room where he sometimes stayed, trying to find 'Padfoot.'"

:::::

They walked the rest of the way back to Number 4 in silence, until at last they reached the small set of steps leading up to the front door. Then Remus turned to Harry, pulling something out of the inside of his coat. "Here." he said, handing Harry a small package wrapped in brown paper. "Sirius got this for you before he, before he died...," Remus looked rather lost for a moment, then shook his head and smiled at Harry. "Good bye, Harry."

He turned to leave, but Harry said quickly "Professor, wait!"

"Yes, Harry?" said Lupin quietly, turning back around.

"Thanks." said Harry, grateful that it was too dark for Remus to see how bright his eyes were. "Thanks for everything."

Remus gave another small, tired smile. "Happy birthday, Harry. I'll see you again soon." He began to walk back down the street, and as Harry, unwilling to go inside and face his aunt and uncle, stood watching, he passed beneath a streetlamp and was gone.

Harry sighed and turned around, wiping his eyes before pulling open the door and stepping inside.

:::::

_Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room._

_The second jet of red light hit him squarely on the chest. _

_The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. _

_Harry released Neville, though he was not aware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore turned to the dais too. _

_It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...._

_And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place._

_Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing – Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...._

_But Sirius did not reappear._

_"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!"_

_He was running as hard as he could now, but like sand thrown to the wind it was all blowing away – the archway was disappearing, and instead Harry was running towards a pit of absolute blackness...._

Harry woke with a start, drenched in sweat and panting. His blankets were thrown half off the bed, and he was shaking slightly.

He fumbled on his bedside table for his glasses, then put them on and sat up. Glancing over at the alarm clock beside his bed, he saw that it was 2:30 in the morning and groaned. He didn't know why he should be surprised – he hadn't gotten more than a few hours sleep a night since he had gotten back from Hogwarts – but he had hoped that yesterday's talk with Professor Lupin might have helped. No such luck.

His eyes wandered over to the package Lupin had given to him – he hadn't opened it yet, just thrown it onto his desk and collapsed into bed before his aunt or uncle could bombard him with questions about Lupin. To be honest he wasn't sure whether he wanted to open it or not – the memory of Sirius was still painfully fresh, and the last thing he needed at the moment was something to give him more nightmares.

He lay on his back, debating with himself for a few minutes. At last, making up his mind, he stood up, walked over to his desk, picked up the package, and walked back over to his bed. Sitting down, he stared at it for a moment, then tore the rather thick brown paper off.

An envelope fell out of the paper and onto his bed – picking it up, he slit it open and pulled out a short note in Sirius' handwriting.

Dear Harry;

Happy Birthday! Your dad gave this to me

on my 16th birthday, so I guess we're both

giving it to you now. There's a note from him

to me on the back, if you want to read it.

See you soon,

Sirius

Harry gave a hollow laugh that turned into a heaving sob. The feeling of guilt that had been threatening to overwhelm him since Sirius' death was now overpowering, and he suddenly felt so lost he wanted to scream.

He closed his eyes and leaned back against his bed, breathing heavily – he did not know how long he lay there, but when he opened his eyes again the first tendrils of light were creeping onto the horizon, and the birds had started their raucous, early morning welcome, though their song was almost completely masked by the huge, grunting snores of Dudley.

Harry wiped his eyes and picked up Sirius' present. It was a black-and-white wizarding photograph in a rather tarnished silver frame: His mother and father, Sirius, and Remus were all beaming and waving up at him – they couldn't have been more than 15 years old when it was taken.

Flipping the frame over, Harry saw a faded message scribbled onto the leather back.

Padfoot –

Messrs. Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail have

determined that, as punishment for ever

doubting in Prong's ability to woo Evans, this

is all you get as a birthday present. Notice the

photograph. Prongs. And Evans. Together.

And Moony. Can't forget him. And some

stranger off the street. No idea who he is.

- Prongs

P.S. – Happy birthday, mate.

Harry had to laugh, though he knew that his eyes were unnaturally bright. "Thanks, Sirius." he whispered, putting the picture and note on his bedside table and taking off his glasses. "Thanks." He closed his eyes and finally allowed his weariness to carry him off to sleep.

_Only one couple were still battling...._

_A/N _- Well, that's it for now. I hope you liked it - if you did, then please review. You have no idea how much I love getting reviews.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention this - the title really has very little to do with the story. I just thought that was about the best death quote ever and had to include it. I love quotes. Strange, I know, but true. Anyway....

Hope you liked it, hope it was original, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!


	2. We Know Truth

_A/N_ - Hello again! Wow, it took me a long time to finally get this chapter up...sorry to everybody who's reading it, but I have about 2 hours of homework a night and so don't have much time to write. Anyways...

Yes, I know this chapter is short. And yes, I'm _terribly_ sorry that it is, but honestly, making it any longer would have kinda killed it. Hopefully it proves that good things come in small packages : ). Anyhow, I hope you like it, and I hope you are feeling properly confused by the time it's done. Probably not, but hey, I'm trying.

Alright - time for the disclaimer. JK Rowling owns everything you recognize. The quotes belong to the people who, er, said them...(Epicurus, and Blaise Pascal, in that order).

_**Death is Nothing**_

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 2: We Know Truth

_We know truth, not only by reason, but also by the heart._

_- Blaise Pascal_

Harry shivered slightly, pulling his blankets more closely about him. It had been abnormally cold that summer, and even though his window was shut fast he could feel a cool breeze creeping in, chilling him and causing goose bumps to rise on his arms. Closing his eyes wearily, he tried to imagine himself before the large, inviting fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, though his cousin's snores and the less-than-comfortable temperature did much to banish this illusion.

He at once longed for and dreaded sleep – while he knew that he would be haunted by images of Sirius and the veil if he drifted off, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. At last, yielding to his weariness, Harry curled tightly beneath his blankets and let himself drift off to sleep.

_A blanket of silence enveloped the room, so complete that the only sounds were the voices beyond the veil and the beating of his own heart. He glanced around, and though the room appeared to be empty he had a tingling sensation in the small of his back, as though someone were watching him. Turning back to the veil, he gazed at it a moment longer, then slowly, almost hesitantly, he reached out one trembling hand and touched it._

_He screamed, screamed so hard and loud he felt as though his throat was being shred apart. His chest felt like it was being torn from his body, but at the same time as though something, or perhaps someone, was struggling to keep it there. It was as though two forces were struggling for dominion over his body, and he could do nothing more than scream and pray that he would die, that it would all end...._

_It was over just as suddenly as it had begun. Panting for breath, he sat up and found himself sitting on a rocky strip of land jutting out into the grayest and most storm-tossed lake he had ever seen. White-capped waves beat ruthlessly upon the rocks, while above in a midnight black sky strips of lightning tore across the heavens, turning the clouds as red as blood. _

_Harry stood, forgetting for a moment his pain as he gazed in awestruck fear at the spectacle before him. He didn't know what he wanted to do more, run as fast as he could away and not look back, or dive into the water and be swallowed by the waves. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder – whirling around, he saw Sirius standing there, a look of panic on his face as he gazed wildly at Harry._

_"You shouldn't be here," he whispered, his voice cracked and hoarse. "You, you're not...," Sirius let out a cry and stumbled backwards as one of the waves pounding against the rocks surged across his feet. "Go!" he said, his voice frantic now. "Go, before they find you...."_

_"Sirius...?" whispered Harry, his heart drumming so powerfully against his chest that he could hardly hear the thunder booming across the sky._

_Sirius looked at him, and for a moment Harry saw a look of such immense sadness on his godfather's face that he was amazed Sirius could bear it. But a second later Sirius whispered desperately "Go, and don't come back. If you come back they'll find you...."_

_Harry wanted to yell "How can I come back if I don't know where you are?" as loud as he could, wanted everything to stop so that, for just one second, he could look up at Sirius and believe that he had his godfather back again, that Sirius had never fallen through the veil, that everything was exactly as it should be. But as he looked up into Sirius' eyes a whip of lightning burned across the sky, and a huge wave larger than any he had seen before surged against the rocks and onto him. _

_His entire body was consumed with a searing flame – it filled every inch of him, burning him from the inside, and he began to scream, though he was not aware of doing so. Sirius looked more terrified than Harry had ever seen him, and he saw him take a few steps back._

_Feeling as though he was about to burst from the pain, Harry looked at Sirius through bloodied eyes, and saw in Sirius' panic-stricken gray ones an ancient stone archway and gently fluttering veil – as though in slow motion he saw it gust forward, as though caught in a high wind, and then fall back into place: Almost involuntarily Harry took a step forward...._

Harry awoke screaming, a searing pain on his right shoulder. His breathing heavy and uneven, he put a shaking hand over his eyes, half expecting to feel the sticky wetness of blood, and tried to calm himself down, though his right shoulder was still filled with a burning pain, as though it were on fire. At last he stood up, his legs almost too weak to support him, and walked over to his door. Pulling it open, he stumbled across the hall to the bathroom, turning the light on and closing the door behind him.

Glancing only momentarily up at the mirror, where his haunted, bloodshot green eyes and pale, sweaty face stared wearily and confusedly back at him, he poured himself a glass of water, drinking it hastily as though it would banish the nightmare that was still so vividly fresh on his mind. However, it did nothing more than remind him once more of the fierce pain in his shoulder – looking back up at the mirror , he pulled the neck of his pajamas down, and a second later could fell the glass slip from his fingers and fall crashing to the floor, fragmenting into a thousand pieces.

Where in his dream the wave had hit him, on the lower part of his right shoulder, were small, blood-red letters imprinted onto his skin – **HE IS OURS**.

Harry dug frantically through the papers he had littered across his desk, trying to find a blank piece of parchment. At last he found one – sweeping everything else off his desk and sending it clattering to the floor, he shoved his quill into an inkbottle, splattering black ink over everything, and, his hand still shaking violently, began to write.

_Dear Professor Lupin – _

_I'm sorry to bother you, but something really strange just_

_happened and I need your help. If possible would you please _

_come back to Privet Drive so we can talk – if you can't I'll _

_tell you next time I see you. Thanks._

_- Harry_

He knew it sounded rather rude, but at the moment he was too shaken to care. "Take this to Professor Lupin, would you, Hedwig?" he whispered, walking over to her cage and fumbling to open it. "Make sure he gets it soon, alright?" Hedwig fluttered out of her cage and landed on his forearm, nipping his fingers affectionately. "Thanks." murmured Harry, tying it to her leg. She hooted softly and soared off his arm and through the still open window.

His shoulder still throbbing, Harry collapsed backwards onto his bed, his exhausted mind reeling with questions. Who had engraved those words into his shoulder? He knew he hadn't been imagining them; he was in far too much pain and confusion to be dreaming. And what had that dream meant? It was all getting so muddled now. His eyes were dropping lower and lower, though he was afraid to fall asleep, because he was didn't want to know what he'd see when he dreamed....

_A/N_ - ooh, a cliffie! lol - actually its more like a kind of semi-cliffie, since you guys have probably already figured out what'll happen next. Oh well. I tried.

Now, to thank the BRILLIANT people who reviewed chapter 1!

**Jenn Black** - well, maybe he's not in jk's world, but...lol.

**Eagle** - You really thought I wrote this angst well? Whew, that's a relief! I'm glad you like it.

**Jocelyn** - My first reviewer _not_ from TwoWay Mirrors! I'm glad you liked it and hope you like this chapter too : )

**Misthea** - Thank you so much for being the first to review this! You had no idea how happy that made me feel. And yes, as you've probably already figured out, Remus will be coming in again in the next chapter. He's my favorite character, like I said in TwoWay Mirrors. And no, like I said before, this won't stop me updating TwoWay Mirrors. I love that story too much to just let it go!

That's it for now - keep reviewing and I'll post chapter 3 soon! I promise!

Bye. : )


	3. Worth Fighting For

_A/N_ - Hey everybody! Wow, it took a while to finish this chapter - I'm sorry! Life just became rather hectic, and I had virtually no time to write. Oh well - here it is now!

Oh, and to anybody reading this that is also one of my reviewers for TwoWay Mirrors - I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but like I said above I've had almost no time to write. However, I promise chapter 20 will be posted in a week or so (probably sooner). Please be patient with me, I'm trying!

Alright - time to explain a bit about this chapter. Halfway through it switches view points - it starts off from Remus' perspective, goes to Harry's and then back to Remus'. Hopefully won't be too confusing - I put ::::: in between the view points, so you should be able to figure it out.

Disclaimer time! JK Rowling owns everything you recognize. The quotes belong to the people who said them...(Epicurus, Blaise Pascal, and Erica Jong, in that order).

Enjoy!

_**Death is Nothing**_

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 3: Worth Fighting For

_The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of._

_- Blaise Pascal_

_Love is everything it is cracked up to be...It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for._

_- Erica Jong_

He hated everything about this house. He hated the shrunken heads adorning the halls, hated the house elf that cursed under his breath every time they passed, hated the dank, menacing feeling that seemed to seep throughout the entire manor. But most of all he hated the memories.

There were many of them, too many to count. Everything he passed reminded him of Sirius; every room brought some new recollection. He had never liked memories, not since, fifteen years ago, he had lost all four of his friends on the same night. Memories were painful. And he was tired, deathly tired, of pain.

"Remus, dear?" He glanced up from his desk and saw Molly Weasley standing in the doorway, a kind, understanding smile on her weary face. "Hedwig just arrived; she has a letter for you." She shifted slightly, and Remus could see Harry's snowy owl perched on her shoulder.

Remus frowned slightly. "Thanks, Molly." he said softly, holding out his arm. Hedwig fluttered off of Molly's shoulder and flew over to him – giving Remus one last, small smile, Molly turned and walked back down the hall, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Remus sighed wearily and turned to Hedwig, who had perched herself on his forearm and was blinking her large amber eyes up at him reproachfully, though he couldn't imagine why. "Thank you." he murmured, as she hopped off his arm and onto his desk. Remus untied Harry's letter from around her leg and, frowning slightly, slit it open and began to read.

_Dear Professor Lupin – _

_I'm sorry to bother you, but something really strange just_

_happened and I need your help. If possible would you please _

_come back to Privet Drive so we can talk – if you can't I'll _

_tell you next time I see you. Thanks._

_- Harry_

As he read it his frown deepened. He sat lost in thought for a moment, until Hedwig's impatient hoot brought him sharply back to reality. Grabbing his ragged muggle coat off his bed, he scribbled something down hastily on a scrap of parchment and straightened. Casting his eyes around for his wand, he saw it lying on his bedside table and, grabbing it, stuffed it into his pocket before disappearing with a resounding crack.

"Harry?"

Harry jumped and spun around – a man with light brown, grey flecked hair was standing behind him, his hands in the pockets of a rather tattered overcoat. Harry relaxed. It was Lupin.

"Hedwig, er, got to you, then?" said Harry, feeling slightly foolish now that Lupin was actually here.

"Yes." said Lupin softly, sitting down on the curb next to Harry. "What's wrong?" Something in his concerned voice made Harry catch his breath painfully; for a moment he had sounded so much like –

"Harry?" said Lupin gently. Harry forced himself to let out his breath.

"Professor," he began slowly, not exactly sure how he was going to explain this, "I, er, had a dream, a night ago...," Remus merely looked at him silently, and Harry let out another breath before continuing. "It was...weird. I was in the Department of Mysteries, in the room with the, with the veil...," He shook his head slightly before going on. "I was the only one there, and I was standing in front of the veil, and I...I touched it."

He turned to look at Lupin, expecting him to say _something_, but Lupin was merely staring straight ahead at the dark alleyway ahead of them and remained silent. So, sighing, Harry continued.

"What happened next...it was strange. It felt like someone was trying to rip something from my chest, but at the same time like someone else was trying to keep whatever it was there. And it hurt." He shivered slightly.

"Then it was all over, and I was standing on this strip of land in the middle of a lake. It was storming out – there was lightning flashing across the sky, and waves were crashing onto the rocks. And suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I spun around, and, and Sirius was standing there...,"

Lupin sighed, almost as though he had been expecting this, and said softly "And what did Sirius do?"

Slightly taken aback by Lupin's manner, Harry said, somewhat awkwardly, "He, he told me that I wasn't supposed to be there, that I had to leave...he said that 'they' would find me if I didn't go...." Harry fell silent, and for a moment both he and Lupin gazed wordlessly at the alleyway in front of them.

At last Lupin prompted gently, "Did he say anything else?"

Harry shook his head, startled out of his reverie, and answered quickly "No, he didn't....he looked scared, though, and sad. Really sad." Harry turned to look at Lupin, a confused look in his eyes. "But before I could say anything to him something happened – a, a wave came over the rocks and crashed into me. It felt like I was on fire, like I was burning up from the inside, and when I woke up it kept burning." Lupin turned sharply to look at him, a strange look coming into his eyes.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?"

Harry hesitated a moment. Then slowly, almost reluctantly, he pulled down the collar of his shirt and showed Lupin the words emblazoned into his flesh. "Professor," he said slowly, while Lupin gazed, speechless, at his shoulder, "Do you think that, maybe, Sirius could be, that he's not...dead?"

He was sure there were many explanations for the appearance of the words carved into Harry's shoulder, sure that if he could just collect his thoughts he could come up with some other, more logical reason. But a part of him refused to believe that; a part of him wanted, more than anything, to believe that Harry was right, that Sirius really wasn't –

"Have you told anybody else this?" he asked, noting, with a detached feeling of surprise, that his voice sounded calm and reasonable. Harry shook his head.

"No." he muttered, looking not at Remus but at the alleyway that he appeared to be so fascinated with. "I, I don't know why but I...I thought that I should tell you, first."

Remus sighed, wishing more than anything that he could bury his head in his hands. Dumbledore was the one Harry should have told this to, not him. He had no idea what it meant, if it meant anything it all. _Which it doesn't_. he reminded himself, following Harry's gaze down the alleyway. _It was just a dream, nothing more than that. _

_Oh? _said a sarcastic voice in the back of his head. _Just a dream? Then what, pray, does 'HE IS OURS' mean?_

"That was where I first saw him." said Harry softly, distracting Remus from his musings. "Sirius, I mean – I saw him there the night I ran away from my Aunt and Uncle's house." He turned to look at Remus, a faint hope shining in his eyes. "Is there a, a chance that he could be alive, Professor?"

"No." said Remus, his harsh tone surprising both Harry and himself. "He's dead, Harry. He's not coming back." He stood up, distantly aware of the fact that Harry was staring at him open-mouthed, and turning around, began to walk back the way he had come.

_You are a fool._ said the voice contemptuously. _Denying what you know in your heart is true. Had you fallen through Padfoot would have gone after in an instant – what happened to Moony?_

"He died." replied Remus listlessly, knowing that he was speaking to thin air and not really caring. "He followed Padfoot through the veil."

_A/N_ - Poor Remus. I'm pretty mean to him, aren't I? And, I still haven't advanced the plot much, even though it's only supposed to be 5 chapters long! Actually, it's going along faster than you're probably thinking. Which reminds me - if you have any questions/theories about this, you can send them to me in a review and I'll a) Answer them in the next chapter, b) review your story and answer them, or c) not answer them because it would give too much away.

Oh, by the by - I know that chapter was short, but I promise that either 4 or 5 (I'm not sure which yet) will be long.

And now, it's time for doing my favorite thing of all - answering my reviewers!

**Misthea** - Wow, lots of questions! I'll try and answer them all... You'll see! Although, (and you're probably going to hate me for saying this), you've already met 'them'. You just don't know it yet =) / He did! / You'll see! / same answer as last question / Remus has rather mixed feelings about the message - the real question is how he's going to react when he sees how _Harry_ reacts to it.

Well, I originally planned on updating every other, but TwoWay Mirrors is proving rather stubborn at the moment. Don't worry, it'll be updated soon!

**lyssreader -** Thanks!

**SiriusElvenStar** - You were really left speechless? Wow, thanks!

**randomperson619 -** Glad you like it =)

**BellaBlack -** thanks!

**Padfoot n' Moony -** Hope this was soon enough!

**Nethwen -** Glad you like it - characterization is one of my favorite parts of writing, so I'm glad you think they're all in character.

**Icy Tears -** See reply to Padfoot n' Moony =)

Alright - I'm pretty sure that's it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and keep 'em coming! Bye!


	4. All We Need of Hell

_**WARNING:** From this chapter onwards Sirius Black acts as though he is insane. Really - he does. Why? Because I am a cynical and evil authoress who loves experimenting with different mindsets. If you are uncomfortable with character insanity, then DON"T read any further. This is the only warning you're going to get._

_A/N_ - Hey! Time for chapter 4... : )

Time for the disclaimer! JK Rowling owns everything you recognize. The quotes belong to the people who said them...(Epicurus, and Emily Dickinson, in that order).

_**Death is Nothing**_

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 4: All We Need of Hell

_My life closed twice before its close;  
It yet remains to see  
If Immortality unveil  
A third event to me,  
So huge, so hopeless to conceive,  
As these that twice befell.  
Parting is all we know of heaven,  
And all we need of hell._

_- Emily Dickinson_

He shivered, a huge old jacket of Dudley's his only warmth against the bitter night air. It really was too cold to be out, but, he reasoned with himself, he would be back inside soon enough. After all, if worse came to worse he could always go back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place and spend the night there. It wasn't as though he were planning on _staying_ here. He just wanted to make sure that Lupin was right, that there really wasn't even the slightest chance that Sirius was alive....

At last, making up his mind, he stepped into the derelict old phone booth, shutting the rickety glass door behind him and trying to ignore the cold that continued to seep in. His hand shaking slightly, he picked up the clunky black phone that was dangling from a slender piece of wire and, trying to ignore the frigid feeling inside of him that, he suspected, had to do with more than the cold, he quickly dialed in 6-2-4-4-2.

A cool sounding woman's voice spoke from the air surrounding him. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic...."

:::::

Something wasn't right. He didn't quite know what it was, only that it was there – a feeling that something was happening, something that shouldn't happen – a feeling that he had felt twice before and that he had hoped never to feel again.

He clenched his fists in frustration. He was tired, he was ill, and, more than anything else, he was _worried_. Ever since he had seen Harry two days ago....But he shouldn't think about that. He would only become more anxious and confused than he already was. If that were possible.

He sat down on the edge of his bed, his head buried in his arms as he tried to convince himself that there was nothing wrong, that he was just trying to find something that wasn't there. Because there _wasn't _anything wrong, was there? Harry was brave, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't do anything rash, not like –

_"Sirius!" he called, his voice sounding frighteningly small and lost in the vast, silent expanse of the Forest. "James! Peter! **Sirius**!"_

_Nobody answered him. He was alone – frighteningly, terrifyingly alone – in the middle of the Forest, hidden by the mists and shadows that seemed to leer down at him from the massive trees above. Suppressing a whimper of pain, he slid down the trunk of the nearest tree, trying to ignore the hot, moist feeling that was seeping down his back, and closed his eyes. Something must have happened; James and Sirius would never leave him out here alone, **never**, especially not after last night...._

_Another spasm of shivers wracked his body – his clothing was ripped and torn so badly it was almost falling off of him where he sat, and every inch of it was coated in blood – the sickly sweet scent coming off of him was almost too much for him to bear. Something had happened; something had to have happened...._

_"Where are you?" he whispered, his voice cracking hoarsely. "Where...." His trailed off into a series of heaving sobs – he felt as though someone was tearing at his throat with knives, but he couldn't stop – he was lost, he was hurt, he was scared, he – he didn't know what he was anymore. Everything was wrong, everything was so very wrong...._

_He was sobbing so hard now he could hardly breathe. He wanted to scream, wanted to lash out at the world and make her feel all of the pain and all of the sadness that he could hardly confront himself....He opened his eyes, but instead of the mist swirling through the daylight he could only see solid, death-like red...blood was soaking into his vision, mixing with his tears, and he let out a wild, hysterical laugh at the irony of it. The wolf and the human, melding together at last...._

_"Moony? Oh, God, Moony...."Someone was coming towards him, someone whose voice sounded vaguely familiar...._

_"James?" he said, his voice coming out a cracked whisper._

_"What, what happened...?" whispered another voice, sounding severely shaken. "What...,"_

_Blood was still seeping into his eyes, and the world was slowly disappearing.... Forcing himself to look in the direction that the two voices were coming from, he said, in an agonized murmur, "Padfoot? Prongs? Where...what...last night....Where are you?" He heard someone, presumably James, inhale sharply._

_"Moony, your eyes...." Sirius swore loudly._

_"Damn it – we should never have gone out last night, we should have stayed in the Shack...." Remus could feel himself being lifted off the ground, and, finally overcome by the nausea that had been threatening to overwhelm him all morning, he leaned over and retched, hoping desperately that James and Sirius weren't anywhere near him. Sirius swore again, but Remus, suddenly light-headed, could feel himself fading...._

_"You came back...." he managed to whisper, his voice so soft and broken that he was amazed when Sirius answered._

_"What do you mean?" asked Sirius sharply, sounding at once angry and exceptionally scared. "'Course we came back for you....We're the Marauders, remember? We stick together, no matter what...." Remus could hear him let out his breath slowly, and for the first time he realized how truly frightened his friend was. "We thought you were dead...." _

His eyes snapped open, and he forced himself out of the memory of the past: For that was all it was, really – the past. A memory. Oh, God, how he missed them....

:::::

It was exactly as he remembered it in the dream – everything was absolutely, perfectly silent, save for the voices whispering at him from behind the tattered gray veil...the shroud of Death....

He shook his head, trying to force those thoughts out of his mind. After all, that's why he was here, wasn't it? To see if Sirius was...alive.

He stepped carefully down the rows of tiered steps, trying to ignore the flood of memories that struggled to overcome him with every step he took. A cacophony of shouts...of screams.... He shook his head and walked on, stopping at last before the ancient dais and gently murmuring veil.

Now that he was here he wasn't sure what to do. Feeling slightly foolish, he said hesitantly "Um, Sirius...I don't know if you can hear me, but I, er, was wondering...." He faltered and stopped. How on earth was he going to say this?

He sat down on the edge of the dais, wondering distantly what Professor Lupin would say if he knew he was here, and began to speak softly, not looking at the veil but staring unseeingly across the room.

"I – I know that I really shouldn't be here right now, but – I had to come. I can't really explain why...you probably know what I'm talking about anyway. Or maybe you don't. I don't know." Harry sighed. "Life's been...weird, lately. First the dream, then the words...." He rubbed his shoulder unthinkingly. "I don't know. It's almost like, like you're trying to tell me something...or somebody else is. I really, really don't know. It's all so confusing...." He looked pleadingly back at the veil. "I miss you, Sirius – we all do. Professor Lupin especially. And me. Life's been so – so _strange_, without you here. I wake up, expecting that, that you'll be there, and – you're not."

Harry's voice was starting to crack now, all of the pent-up emotions of this summer welling up inside of him. "I asked Professor Lupin, and he said, that, that you're dead. But he didn't want to believe it. And I won't. I can't. Please come back, Sirius, please. I need you here, we all need you here. **_Come back!_**"

He was shouting now, his voice echoing around the cavernous room, and he was suddenly filled with a fury the likes of which he had never felt before – he was sad, and he was scared, he was angry.... He stood up and turned around to face the veil, infuriated by the way it just fluttered serenely there, by the way it acted as though nothing had happened....

"I know you can here me, Sirius." he whispered, his voice filled with a savage anger. "I know you're listening – **_answer me!_**"

He screamed suddenly, staggering sideways and nearly falling off the dais. His head was filled with a savage, white-hot pain, the same pain that had burned every inch of him in his dream – but this pain was a thousand times worse, a thousand times more real. Had he been able to think he would have wondered why he was still alive – as it was his mind was too consumed by the burning fury to think. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to quench the flame that was surely leaping from them, and saw, engraved into the dancing blackness of his eyelids, the same words that had been etched into his shoulder – **HE IS OURS**. What it meant he had no idea, nor did he care.... His legs were giving way beneath him, and fell sideways, feeling the soft, wonderfully cool touch of fabric against his skin as a door burst open somewhere overhead....

:::::

This wasn't happening; this couldn't be happening. Not again. First James, then Sirius, now...no. He would get there before that. Harry would not – _could_ not – He would get there. He _had_ to get there. If he didn't....

He slammed the door open and skidded to a sudden halt, barley avoiding crashing into the wall opposite him. He was in a circular room lit by flickering bluish flames – five doors surrounded him, every one of them identical....

He didn't have time for this – he had to get to Harry. Growling impatiently, he started towards the door nearest him, then suddenly stopped, turning around to face another one. He didn't know what it was, but something was telling him that _this_ was the right door, the one that would lead him to Harry. His wolf-sense, as Sirius had once called it. He growled again. He couldn't think of Sirius right now – he had to get to Harry. Striding towards the new door, he flung it open and stopped dead in his tracks, unable to breath.

He was too late. Harry had, Harry had.... He sank to the ground, unable to look away from the veil, which was billowing imposingly as it welcomed its newest visitor. This was all wrong – this couldn't happen _again_. Oh, God, what had he done?

"I'm sorry, Harry." he whispered, his voice coming out a ragged sob. "I'm so, so sorry...,"

:::::

He stood up, his legs almost too weak to support him, and glanced around, his vision blurry and...wet. He frowned. Why was he crying? And, for that matter, why was he here? Last he remembered he had been hit with that awful wave of pain after he had yelled at the veil, at Sirius....He shivered slightly. He didn't want to think about that.

He looked around again, blinking a few times as the world came into greater focus. This place...it seemed familiar, though he couldn't ever remember being here before. He was in the comfortable-looking living room of some house, sitting on a rather worn carpet as one – no, two – people played in front of him.

Harry could feel his mouth drop open as he watched his father, hardly older than 21, play with...him. Granted, he looked like he was barely over a year old, but....

He sank to the ground, unable to glance away from the scene in front of him. James was holding him, Harry, high over his head, whirling him around as baby Harry, giggling, tried to catch the "snitch." Harry could feel a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Was this what his life was like, what his life _should_ have been like?

After a while he glanced around curiously. It was storming out – lightening flashed through the windows, casting bizarre and unnatural shadows on the floor, and thunder boomed outside. Lily, (_My Mum, _thought Harry a, a strange feeling surging inside of him), stretched out on a large couch across from James and Harry, was frowning thoughtfully as she held a pen suspended over what appeared to be a muggle crossword puzzle. "A six letter word for 'tribal mystic.'" she mused aloud. James rolled his eyes at baby Harry, who giggled.

"Mummy's very strange, isn't she Harry? Not like Daddy and Uncle Padfoot." Now it was Lily's turn to roll her eyes.

"Corrupting poor Harry already?"

"Mummy's just jealous." James informed baby Harry, who seemed to be becoming rather sleepy. "She wishes she could turn into a stag."

_Is this what Heaven is like?_ wondered Harry vaguely, settling himself more comfortably against the wall. Although if this was Heaven, then surely there wouldn't be that low, sobbing noise in the background, a noise which was growing steadily louder and more irksome....

Annoyed, Harry glanced around the room again and found, to his surprise, that there was a figure hunched against the far wall, a figure who was half cloaked in shadow but was hauntingly familiar....

Although afterwards he could not explain how it had happened, the next moment he was crouched by Sirius' side, his eyes wide as he watched Sirius, his head buried between his knees, rock backwards and forwards, moaning.

"Please not again, please, I'm sorry I'm sorry **_I'm sorry!_** I'll do anything, anything I promise but not this, not this again oh please _make it STOP_!"

"S-Sirius?" whispered Harry hesitantly, feeling at once ecstatic and terribly afraid. He hadn't the faintest idea what Sirius was talking about, if this even _was_ Sirius, and for some reason he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Sirius looked up and glanced around wildly; his ghostly white face was tear streaked and even thinner than Harry had remembered it, and the haunted look in his eyes was replaced with one of...fear? "H-Harry?" whispered Sirius – his voice was cracked and strained, and filled with a sort of blind terror Harry had never heard there before. "You...them...."

Unsure of what Sirius was talking about, Harry reached out hesitantly and touched his godfather's shoulder. Sirius recoiled and began to shake violently. "Enough..." he muttered, burying his head in his knees again. "Seen... enough... not again, please not again...."

Harry was becoming truly frightened now. "Please, Sirius, it's me, Harry! You, you remember me, don't you? Harry Potter, your godson?" Sirius looked up at him, and, though he still looked terrified, his eyes were also filled with a new look – uncertainty.

"You, you're not...not them?" he muttered, still refusing to look at James, Lily, and the baby Harry. "From...where Remus...."

"Yes." said Harry quickly. There followed a short pause, during which Sirius stared avidly at him, and Harry, unsure of whether or not this were some bizarre dream, reached out again and touched Sirius' shoulder.

"And you – you're real too?" he asked hesitantly. An enormous flash of lightening lit the room, slicing it in two, and was immediately followed by a deafening crash of thunder. Sirius yelped, as though he had been scalded, and began to sob frantically.

"Not again, no, please _please_ I'll do anything, ANYTHING, just not again, not ever again, just please stop and I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry just _please_ make it go away, I didn't know, I swear I didn't, I wouldn't ever, ever do that to them, EVER, please believe me, **_I'M SORRY_**!"

Something was terribly, terribly wrong. Looking away from Sirius, Harry saw James stiffen, looking towards the door, and he was filled with a sudden feeling of foreboding. His parents just over 21...the crossword asking about a mystic...Sirius sobbing uncontrollably....

"No," he whispered, unable to believe this was happening. This couldn't happen, not now that he'd found them again, not ever. "Mum...dad...."

And he was screaming, screaming as James thrust baby Harry at Lily, screaming as the door burst open in a flash of green light, screaming as his dad fell to the ground, a hopeless expression on his face, as though he had let his wife and son down, as though he had let everyone down....

How could he have ever mistaken this for Heaven?

* * *

_A/N_ - And, on to replying to my reviewers! Once again, if you leave questions/theories in your review I'd be glad to answer them in the next chapter or review your story and answer them. 

**Nethwen** - About the words...well, you'll find out why they're there and who put them on Harry in the next chapter, but the 'he is ours' is referring to Sirius. That should give you a small hint. And I'm flattered that you're asking for my help in your L/J fic, but to be honest I'm absolutely terrible at writing that particular genre. I'm much better at Marauder-era bickering : )

**Misthea - **Well, I think I already answered your questions in a review, so I'll just than you for reviewing here! And yes, you win out - 6 chapters instead of 5. Hope you're happy. lol. Hope you liked chapter 20 of TwoWay Mirrors. Oh, almost forgot - 'they' were in this chapter too. I'm curious to see whether you can figure out who 'they' are or not...so far you're on the right track : )

**Redluxx - **Wow...lots and lots of compliments! Thanks - I'm glad you like it so much, and I hope you're not preparing to flame me after what I did to Sirius. I promise the next chapter won't be so bad : )

**HoshiHikari4ever** - Think I answered all of your questions too, so I'll just say thanks for reviewing!

**sapphireskies** - Argh - stupid school : ) Glad you liked it.

**Kat** - Well, I hope this was quick enough for you! Hope you like this chappie too : )

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and if you haven't yet, _**please**_ do! I promise that the next chapter will be longer and not quite so sad...as always, PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Bye : )


	5. Everything You Can Imagine: Part 1

_A/N_ - Hey! So sorry about the long wait between updates...wait, scratch that, I'm _**not**_ sorry, because for some reason or other all of my reviewers decided to skip reviewing that chapter! Come on, guys - it wasn't _that_ bad, was it?

Alright, time for everybody's favorite - the disclaimer! JK Rowling owns everything you recognize, and the quotes are courtesy of Epicurus and Picasso, respectively.

* * *

**_Death Is Nothing_**

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 5: Everything You Can Imagine

Part I

_Everything you can imagine is real._

_- Pablo Picasso_

Everything was black, an utter, silent, fathomless sort of black, the kind that, had it not completely and utterly engulfed you, would have made you scream in despair. Nothing would ever be light again, never. The world would remain shrouded in darkness until the end of time, until, until…,

He was sobbing uncontrollably, and he had been for – oh, God, he had forgotten how long now. He could feel his tenuous grip on sanity slipping away from him – he couldn't even remember why he was here now. Wherever here was.

"H-Harry?" said a trembling voice. He could feel a gentle, hesitant touch on his shoulder, and he flinched, sobbing harder than ever. Hadn't they done enough to him already? "You're real…." breathed the voice.

Yes, he was real. Of course he was real. Was it possible to feel this, this lost, and confused, and sick, in a nightmare? "Go away." he whispered. "Please."

But the voice didn't go away. "Not…here." it said slowly, almost as though it were struggling to make sense through a jumbled onslaught of thoughts. "They're gone…"

"_YES, THEY'RE GONE!_" He surged to his feet, white-hot fury coursing through his veins, and, chest heaving, glared at the still shadowed figure in front of him. "_THEY'RE GONE, ALL OF THEM – MY MUM, AND MY DAD, AND NOW, NOW SIRIUS…._" But wait – that wasn't right. Sirius had been there, he had _seen_ him, right before his dad had, had been murdered…. The darkness was receding faster now, and he could see the man standing in front of him….

"Harry…?" said Sirius again, as though he were afraid that, any minute now, Harry would disappear. Harry stared at him, his breath still coming in ragged gasps.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he whispered at last. Sirius shook his head slightly, still staring, wide-eyed, at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice coarse and broken. "So sorry…,"

:::::Remus' POV:::::

The logical thing to do would be to go and tell Dumbledore, of course. But for some reason or other he found himself not caring what the "logical" thing was. He had always been the reasonable one, the one who, no matter what, always kept his head. And he was tired of it. It was too much, really. First Lily and James, then Sirius, and now Harry. He was the last one left – he who was supposed to have been the first one gone.

He wouldn't tell Dumbledore. Not yet.

:::::Sirius' POV:::::__

He stared at his godson avidly, trying to ignore the voices that were screaming inside his head, demanding that he listen to them. _It's not him,_ said one voice silkily. _It's another trick, another one of Their lies_.

Sirius shook his head, willing such thoughts away. This had to be Harry – no matter how hard They tried, They could not replicate that look of utter confusion and loss that was in Harry's eyes now. _Oh?_ said another voice, this one callous and indifferent. _Just like it had to have been James, because They could never have looked so delighted to see you?_

"Shut up." whispered Sirius, ignoring the startled and apprehensive look Harry was sending towards him now. "Shut up."

The voices laughed again. _Well, if you insist on torturing yourself…._

"Are you Sirius?" Harry asked, his voice now laced with uncertainty. Tears were still falling down his face, though he didn't seem to notice them anymore.

He jumped, looking at Harry with a slight hint of fear in his eyes. He had willed, even _begged_ the voices to silence, but now, as hard as he tried, he could not ignore Them. "Please." he whispered. One of Them laughed derisively. _Fool,_ it said scathingly, its voice cutting into his mind so that he whimpered and curled up into a ball, his head buried in his knees. _Do you humans comprehend nothing? Do you really think we would let you go now, now that we've spent all our time chaining you here? Oh no, Sirius Black – there are still horrors here beyond your darkest nightmares. You think you know pain? You've hardly tasted it._

:::::Dumbledore's POV:::::

He rubbed his eyes wearily, staring into the merrily crackling fire as though hoping it would provide some answers to the questions that were clamoring ceaselessly in his mind. He had never felt older than he did right now.

He wasn't sure, even now, that he had done the right thing, leaving Harry with the Dursleys for another summer. Because now, after Remus had come to him two days ago and dutifully relayed his conversation with Harry, he doubted that the protection Harry would be needing at the moment had anything to do with Voldemort….

There wasn't any chance that Sirius was alive – that much he knew. Or thought he knew. The Veil, the archway – they led to a place beyond the wildest conceptions of humanity. The darkest conceptions of humanity. And they were a doorway that could only be opened once.

He knew that – Remus knew that. Everybody knew that, it seemed, except for the one who needed to most.

He sighed and stood up, turning away from the cheerful, comforting light of the fire and towards the dark, gusting winds of the night outside. He hoped Remus, wherever he was now, had been right when he said Harry wouldn't do anything reckless.

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He stared at Sirius apprehensively, desperate to believe that this was really his godfather and, at the same time, afraid to do so. Because, if he wasn't, Harry wasn't sure how much longer he could keep holding on….

Sirius stiffened suddenly, a glazed look coming into his unfocused eyes. A second later his head snapped back up, and he stared at Harry keenly. Harry gazed warily back. There was something…unnerving, in Sirius' gaze. Something he had never seen before. Never seen in Sirius' eyes, at least.

Sirius' was still staring unflinchingly at him, and Harry thought he could sense a flicker of some other color dancing behind Sirius' normal dark, storm gray eyes. Not lifting his gaze from Harry's face, he reached out slowly and grabbed Harry's arm. "It's coming."

* * *

_A/N_ - Ha - a nice little cliffie for all you people who decided you could just skip out on reading chapter 4. : ) This chapter was going to be longer, but this just seemed like the right place to end it, so I divided it into Chpt. 5 parts 1 and 2. Which also means you'll be getting seven chapters instead of six. 

Ok...time to go on to reviewing to those few people who had the ::cough:: decency to tell me what they thought of that last chapter. I love you guys!

**Icy Tears** - Wow...had to grab a dictionary to understand some of that : )...thanks for reviewing!

**Darcy - **Don't worry - that chapter was the last one with him being majorly tormented. Or at least, I'm 99 percent sure it was.

**Eagle -** You'll have noticed that, for your especial convinence, I put whose POV it was when switching. This one had a lot of POV switching around - hopefully not too confusing. And, pathetic as it is, I was really hoping someone would wonder what the word for "tribal mystic" was. No, it has absolutely no bearing on the plot (which, surprisingly, is actually existent in this story). The word which Lily, unfortunately, never got around to figuring out was "shaman"

**Misthea -** lol. Sorry! I don't mean to keep making you late for work ::grins:: As to questions...yeah, Sirius and Harry were both trapped watching that. Poor guys. And for your last questions...while, seeing as how answering that would give away the ending, I'm not going to tell! Although, of course, your question is assuming that it'll be Remus who gets them out...

Alrighty - that's it for now. PLEASE remember to review, people! You have no idea how happy that would make me! Because, the more you review, the quicker I write, and the quicker I write, the quicker Chapter 5 part 2 gets posted! Got that?

Bye!


	6. Everything You Can Imagine: Part 2

_A/N _- Alright - I give up on trying to force you guys to review. Three reviews is rather pathetic, but, seeing as it's Halloween (the greatest holiday EVER), I'll give you a break.

After this chapter there's only 1 chapter left. I've given up on trying to make this a tear-jerker, but hopefully there'll be a few happy-sad moments before we're done. I meant to have basically everything resolved in this chapter, but it didn't quite work out that way...I guess you'll just have to see for yourself : )

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything you recognize, and the quotes are courtesy of Epicurus and Picasso, respectively.

* * *

**_Death Is Nothing_**

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 5: Everything You Can Imagine

Part II

_Everything you can imagine is real._

_- Pablo Picasso_

He had never before realized how slowly time passed – every second seemed longer than the last. He wasn't sure what it was that was keeping him up this night – all he knew was that a vague feeling was growing steadily stronger in the back of his mind, a feeling that something was happening. Something…cataclysmic. Earth-shattering. And he didn't know what it was.

He didn't glance up as tiny specks of rain flung themselves at his window; the beginnings of a deluge. Within minutes torrents of rains were lashing against the castle walls, and spears of lightening tore jagged strips out of the black, midnight sky. And still, utterly engrossed in thought, the headmaster sat, staring unseeingly into the cheerfully crackling fire, a stark contrast to the bleakness outside.

There was something going on. Something…devastating. And he was powerless to stop it.

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

They were whispering again.

He shivered, trying to ignore the voices that were seething in the back of his mind. They were furious about something. It was bad, very bad, when they were angry. Anger meant pain.

_Brazen fool, _snarled one voice, one he had never heard before. _Thief. He is passed, it is forbidden – _

_You called him back._ drawled another voice, sounding cruelly amused. _They are thoughtlessly brave, these humans, especially where one of their own is concerned…_

_But he is ours! _whined a shrill, petulant voice. _He cannot steal him, either of them…they came through, they are ours by right!_

Sirius stifled a whimper, the first voice's anger cutting into him like a knife. _He saved the first one when we should have taken him, and now he's saved the second. They are ours now, both of them. He will not save them. He will die._

The second voice laughed, but he couldn't understand what they were saying – everything was drowning in a fog of deep, crimson red, and he could feel consciousness slipping away from him….

:::::Dumbledore's POV:::::

Night was fast turning to day, but the sky outside was so wreathed in ebony black storm clouds that, had it not been for the small clock on the far corner of his desk, he would never have noticed. For four hours now he had sat, immersed in thought, and still the warning in his mind had grown stronger. Stronger, but no less incomprehensible.

At last, reluctantly, his gaze shifted from the now glowing embers of the fire to a large, leather-bound tome lying closed on his desk. Its ancient pages were cracked and soiled, and a huge, deep brown stain dripped down the cover, which read, in faded but once brilliant silver lettering –_ Caducus Venificium_.

He had traversed these ancient, timestained pages twice before, but now, an unknown warning stirring within his mind and the storm raging ceaselessly on outside, he felt compelled to read them again. Opening it gently, he ignored the billowing clouds of dust arising from the yellowed parchment and, almost hesitantly, began to read.

:::::Harry's POV:::::

Afraid of what he would he would see, Harry screwed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the incessant screaming beating against his skull. Sirius had not let go of his death grip on his arm, but he hardly noticed it now. The pain wracking the rest of his body drove everything else out of his mind.

What had just happened? Everything was becoming so blurred now – the lines between reality and fantasy were fading faster and farther away. He remembered…darkness. And…something else. A laugh? But that wouldn't make sense – there was no reason to laugh, not here. Not anymore.

Almost involuntarily he let out a soft moan. His entire body felt as though it had been dragged through molten stone – he had never felt this pained, not since that night at the graveyard. How long ago all of that seemed now.

Every movement feeling as though the blood in his veins had turned to fire, he opened his eyes slowly and looked up. There was someone crouched over him…Sirius? The blurred shape was becoming clearer, and Harry could feel his heart clench suddenly….

:::::Dumbledore's POV:::::

_Here legends awaken into reality; the grimmest, darkest sort of reality. And Hell is turned to Heaven and Heaven to Hell, and all the broken swords of men turn to ashes in their hands. Before the steely dawns of Time men built a portal here, a portal to the scarred realm of nightmares, and it engulfed them. All of the seas of the ancient world arose in fury, and drove the kingly lineage back into the fiery chasm they had called into being; and so, for a time, the scourge was lifted from the world._

_But one escaped. _

_Gadeiros, the young ruler of the western half of the kingdom, fled the imprisonment of his people and returned to his ancient homeland, defying the condemnation and carrying the secret of the gateway with him. _

He knew all of this already. Was there any point, really, in reading it again? **_Yes,_** a small voice in the back of his head whispered. He closed his eyes wearily. _**Yes. You have not seen it yet. You will. You must.** _

_Two hundred score years later, and all the shattered lives of men who bore the secret had decayed into nothingness. It had died – the chasm was closed. The blight borne by Gadeiros unto the wild lands of his fore bearers had, at last, ended. All the fires of Heaven and all the lights of Hell were enchained forever in a tomb, an arched tomb of crumbling rock and a gently swaying veil…_

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

More pain.

A thousand jagged spears were piercing his flesh, his soul – he wanted to scream, _needed_ to scream, as though if he did everything would suddenly be alright again – but he couldn't.

_You are Sirius Black. Brave, loyal, defensive, reckless, the one Remus is always chastising for some reason or other….You are Padfoot. Sirius Black. And you will **not** give Them the satisfaction of hearing you scream. _

"Please." he whispered, his voice fading into the vast emptiness that he could feel was surrounding him.

_**No**. You are Sirius Black. You are stronger than this. _

"No." Sirius whispered, wishing more than anything that the voice would leave him along, let him scream out the agony that was burning his soul…. "No. Let me go. Please."

**_You are strong, Sirius! Stronger than Them. FIGHT THEM!_**

"I can't."

The words were broken and cracked, but, in the part of his mind that was still able to think, he knew they were true. And the voice heard them.

_You have to. _

:::::Dumbledore's POV:::::

It was truly morning now, and still the storms outside raged on, unabated. The fire had long since turned into a pile of cold, gray ash, but he was still here. He had not found whatever it was he was looking for yet, and so he kept searching.

_From the moment they called it into being they were doomed, for they had centered all of the beacons of Heaven and Hell upon themselves, and unleashed a rampant power upon the world. They had summoned Darkness, and she had come – and so, when she called her fallen children back, they had no choice. Borne by nature's fury, they were swept into her halls and stripped of their humanity, broken until any lingering vestige of their shadowed life had died. They became echoes of the land they were now condemned to traverse – the Guardians._

His mouth curved in a small, humorless smile. Yes, he knew all of this – the Guardians. The hollowed bodies of the men who had dared to rival Time. Dared, and failed.

_Within the barren land they wandered, leaving behind shattered, twisted memories of their distant lives. They became cruel, and covetous, and any lasting compassion they may have felt was swept away as they became a physical embodiment of the nightmares they had created. They harbored no fleeting strains of regret when one fell, by chance or purpose, into their depraved haven – filled with an avid bloodlust, a hunger for the very thing they had, by their pride, destroyed within themselves, they captured any such men and tortured them, tore out their souls and filled them with madness, so that they became haunted, shadowed mockeries of their former selves, lesser travesties of the Guardians._

He closed his eyes. "They captured all." he whispered – it sounded as though every word he was saying was costing him everything he had. This was what was happening to Sirius now, what none of them could save him from. All because of one old man's mistake…. "And none ever escaped."

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

Quiet, endless silence…. He wasn't sure what it meant. And it frightened him, far more than They had, They or anything else that he had seen….

He knew that he had to wake up. He didn't know why, but there was a feeling…someone needed him. But…why would anyone need him here? Unless it was another one of Their tricks…

_It's not._

Unsure of whether he was glad the voice was back or not, Sirius remained silent.

_They have not taken you. They will not take you._

"They have. They take everyone. James is gone, and Lily is gone, and everyone is dead…."

_They **have not** **TAKEN YOU!**_

He whimpered.

_You cannot let Them, Sirius. Not now. Not ever. You are Sirius Black. You are not Them. You will never fall to Them. **Never.**_

"What if I already have?" challenged Sirius – his voice was filled with a sudden anger. He was tired of it – tired of Them, of Their illusions, of hearing Their voices in his head….He was tired of Them toying with him. "What if They've already won?"

_They haven't._

"**_YES THEY HAVE!_**" He didn't know why he was furious anymore, but he could feel-white hot anger overwhelming him – it was as though a dam had suddenly broken loose, unleashing all of his pent-up emotions. All of his pent-up anger. "_**THEY WON! THEY WON 14 YEARS AGO, WHEN JAMES AND LILY –**_" His anger was leaving him as fast as it had come – he broke off suddenly, overcome with massive, wrenching sobs. "It's too late." he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I tried, but I'm not strong enough. It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

The voice was silent. At last it said, as though the words cost it a great deal of effort,_ You have to keep trying, Sirius. You can't let them take you. **I** won't let them. But you have to keep fighting. You have to. _

"What if I can't?" whispered Sirius.

_Think of Remus, Sirius. Think of Harry. Fight for them. There are people who need you. People who care about you enough to die for you. You need a reason to fight? Have you forgotten who you are, Sirius? You are the one who would die, die if it meant protecting what you loved – you have to remember, Sirius. You have to fight. You are stronger than them. And you **will not let them win.**_

****

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He stumbled to his feet, pain momentarily forgotten as he stared, frightened, at the person before him. "Who are you?" he whispered, his already pale face draining.

It…looked like Sirius. But it couldn't be. Something was different. The eyes….Sirius' eyes were haunted, empty pools of deepest grey, an emotionless scar left by Azkaban. But now….

He had seen these eyes before. But…it couldn't be. James Potter had died fourteen years ago…

* * *

_A/N_ - Hopefully you're all rather confused at the moment...although I _did_ put in rather a lot of foreshadowing hints in this chapter and the one previous....Harry must be thinking he's going crazy right about now. Poor chap. 

Did anybody get the Atlantean bit? I hope so - I spent all of ten minutes researching it. lol. I really do love mythology, though, and Atlantis just fit so perfectly with this story...

Okay...time to thank the ::cough:: _three_ people who had enough decency to review ::insert evil glare::

**aschowin** - Thanks! Hope this chapter was satisfactory. ::grins::

**Redluxx** - I was wondering where you'd gone. : ) Glad you liked the little family scene...impending doom really is rather inconvienent, isn't it? lol. Many, many hugs to Siri!

**Raven Blaise** - Thanks! Whenever I start writing a story it ends up twisting/turning in the most bizarre directions - trust me, the original plot for this story was _nothing_ like the actual one! I think the actual one is better, though : )

That's it ::sigh:: PLEASE review, people! I'd really, really appreciate it, since I feel all depressed when nobody bothers telling me what they like/dislike about this story : (

Happy All Hallow's Eve!


	7. Where I Intended to Go

_A/N_ - Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm terribly sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I had major writer's block for all of my stories for the better part of a month. Not fun. I got quite a few people telling me that last chapter was confusing - hopefully this chapter will wrap up all loose ends. If it doesn't then, well, sorry!

Wow - this feels so weird, finishing this story. Very nice feeling of accomplishment : )I 'm not too sure what I think about this chapter, so I'd appreciate any and all feedback. Gracias!

Oh, one more quick thing - I love happy endings. Really, I'm a sucker for them. Just a quick warning for any incredibly angsty people out there ; )

Disclaimer - JK Rowling owns everything you recognize - the quotes are courtesy of Epicurus and Douglas Adams, respectively.

_**

* * *

** _

**Death Is Nothing **

_Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not._

_- Epicurus_

Chapter 6: Where I Intended to Go

_I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.  
-__Douglas Adams_

"Who are you?" he whispered again, his hands trembling. The man backed up slowly, though he was still staring at him avidly.

"I'm not one of Them." he said softly – his voice was no longer shaky and hesitant. "We have to go."

"Who are you?" asked Harry again, this time more loudly. He stumbled backwards, clutching at the rock wall behind him…then he stiffened, turning around slowly. There hadn't been a wall there earlier…

"That's not important." said the man – the man who looked so much like Sirius, and at the same time so different. Harry spun back around, his breath hitching. "They already know I'm here, so we have to hurry…,"

"You're not Sirius." said Harry, his voice wavering slightly as he stared, transfixed, at the man before him. "You, your eyes, they look like –"

"Sirius has his own battles to fight." interrupted the man – his voice was still quiet, but his eyes were flashing. "He has already stayed here far too long….But we don't have time to talk now, we have to go. They are coming."

Harry closed his eyes, willing the man's face, the pain – everything – to go away. Because this was all some really bad dream, wasn't it? Soon he would wake up, and the floor would be shaking as Dudley lumbered downstairs, and Hedwig would be waiting for him, perhaps with a letter from Hermione, or Ron…because this was a dream, it had to be, and he had never really passed through the curtain, and there wasn't a man standing before him with Sirius' face and James' eyes, because Sirius Black and James Potter were dead….

But the pain didn't go away, and he could feel those familiar hazel eyes staring at him, and he knew that he wasn't going to wake up – he knew that somehow this was all real; this land of nightmares he was trapped in was real, and somehow James Potter was standing in front of him, trying to take him home….

He swallowed and opened his eyes, clutching once more at the rock wall as he willed the world to steady.

"You're my dad," he whispered, his voice trembling and a few tears slipping unbidden down his face. "You, you're –"

The man – James? – made as though to smile, but then he stiffened, a strange, desperate look coming onto his face before he whirled around, shoving Harry roughly behind him.

"You will not have him."

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

He recoiled, writhing away from the darkness that was bleeding into his mind. They were so close now, so close that every breath was filled with raw fire. He now secretly longed to hear the voice in his head, because if he did then he might have something to cling to…if he did then maybe he could keep holding on…to what end, he no longer knew.

His soul felt as though it was burning, and he screamed - but no one was listening anymore. Though who would be listening, he no longer knew – he couldn't remember sunlight, or laughter, or the wind…no faces, no memories of happier times, no…anything.

_Sirius?_

He wanted to cry out, to say something – but he could only draw farther back as another wave of searing fire washed over him.

_Sirius, I need you back now. We don't have any more time, They've come, They're here to take you and Harry....You are stronger than them, Sirius, and you need to fight them **now**. _

He shrank back involuntarily. "H-how…"

_I need you, Sirius!_ The voice sounded desperate now, and Sirius had a sudden, strange feeling – he knew whoever it was who was talking to him… _Please remember, Sirius – remember Remus, and Harry, and everyone else. Can you see them? They are here, Padfoot, and They are going to take that from you…They are trying to create darkness from light, and They will succeed unless you defy Them! Stand by me, Sirius. Stand by me, and defy Them, and I swear I will bring you back home._

Home….

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He tried to breath, but couldn't – this was worse than the dementors, worse than anything he could remember. He couldn't see them, but he could feel them – tall, shadowed beings of fire and darkness, thousands upon thousands of them, cloaked in mist and fear. He could distantly hear the man say again, "You will not have him!" – But that no longer made sense. They already had him, didn't They? And even if They didn't, They would soon enough – he would let Them take him, just so long as all of it ended….

He shuddered, gasping as a tendril of chilling, icy fear snaked into his mind. _Hello, Mr. Potter, _said a coldly amused voice – he bent over, covering his ears with his hands, but the voice didn't go away. _I had hoped to be the one to break you, after all the trouble your father has caused me…you know, Mr. Potter, I think he actually believed he could save you and Mr. Black. A mistaken notion, of course, but he came back from the higher lands to try and rescue you. He even took over Mr. Black's body rather than inhabiting his own, as though that would make you trust him more…but of course you didn't listen to him, Mr. Potter, when he said to leave, and now we will take all three of you…_

"**_NO!_**" Harry screamed, trying vainly to push the darkness away from him. "Take me, I don't care, but let my, my dad and Sirius go, please…"

The voice laughed. _Oh, but Mr. Potter, it is such fun to break you, to watch you scream…do not worry, though. You will not feel guilty for long – soon you will have no memory of anything. You will not remember the taste of food, or the feel of sunlight, or the touch of the wind…you will know nothing but pain, Mr. Potter, and that pain will never end, because here there is neither life nor death. Welcome to Hell, Mr. Potter. _"This is not Hell."

Harry's head snapped up. There were two men in front of him now, one crouched on the ground, his hazel eyes flashing beneath a mess of untidy, jet-black hair as he slowly straightened up, glaring at the tall, shadowed figures before him. The other had staggered back and was leaning against the stone wall, his eyes closed and his breathing harsh and uneven. "This is not Hell," he said again, his voice low and rasping. "I've – been to Hell, and – this is – not – it." He coughed, shaking uncontrollably. "Let us – go."

Harry cried out, bent over and clutching his head as James and Sirius turned to look at him. _Tell them, _whispered the voice harshly, no longer sounding amused. _Tell them that they will never leave, not until they feel the weight of over a thousand year's pain. Not until they know what it is to exist without food, without water, without life…tell them that, Mr. Potter. **Tell them!**_

"Let him go!" said James, sounding panicked. "Let Sirius and Harry go home, and you can take me instead!"

"T-They said," whimpered Harry, flinching as a pair of hands grabbed his wrists, "T-They said that, that w-we can't leave, that we c-c-can never l-leave…."

_Tell them, _shouted the voice, its words now sounding like a thrashing gale, _That we will take all of you, that none of you will escape – tell them!_

"W-we can, can't escape, Th-They said s-so…pl-please stop, please…." He couldn't see anymore – unconsciousness was threatening to overwhelm him, and at last he let it take him. "Please stop…."

:::::Sirius' POV:::::

He fell to the ground, his nails digging into his clenched hands so hard blood was starting to ooze from his fists….A sea of mist-wreathed figures was standing before him, towering over him and flickering with barely concealed ebony fire. Them.

But he was still here, and Harry was still here, and – somehow – James was here; They hadn't taken them yet. What was it that he had said? That this was not Hell…what was, then?

Azkaban. He watched with fevered eyes as one of the figures before him changed….And now he was staring at Bartemius Crouch, a self-satisfied leer on his face as he pointed behind him and stepped aside; and then Lily and James were lying on the ground – James' glasses were broken, and crimson blood was dripping slowly from a gash across his cheek….

And then they too disappeared, and Peter was there, his hands behind his back as he opened his mouth to shout something – then Remus was slowly turning around to look at him, a look of betrayal and hurt burning in his eyes….

And then he laughed. He reached up for the rock wall, grabbing onto it and pulling himself up…and, still laughing, he limped over to where James was crouched in front of Harry, his hazel eyes wide with anger and fear.

"I've been to Hell," he said again, dropping heavily to the ground beside James. "And I escaped. Now _let **us GO!**_"

oooooooooo

He moaned, screwing his eyes shut as something cool grabbed his arm. "Lemme go…," he mumbled, trying to turn away. "It was James' fault…."

Somewhere above him someone laughed, and a second later the cool grip on his arm was gone. He smiled, then frowned as something wet brushed against his face. Opening his eyes cautiously, he found himself face to face with a large stag, a stag with unusual black markings around bright, hazel eyes….

Yelping, he scuttled backwards, brushing a tangled strand of black hair out of his face as he stared, wide-eyed, at Prongs. The stag tilted its head slightly, its hazel eyes wide and innocent-looking, and a second later James was gazing at him, smiling as he leaned back against a smooth, marble wall. "Feeling better?"

Sirius gaped at him. "I – you, you're –"

"Dead." finished James, his smile fading slightly. "Yeah, I am. And, er, at the moment, so are you. Not for long, though," he added hastily, as Sirius opened his mouth to say something. "But, well, when you were helping draw us out you kind of…overdid yourself a bit, mate. Don't worry, though – I'll send you home in a second, and then you'll be – well, you'll be alive again…."

Sirius shook his head slowly, looking exceptionally confused. "I'm dreaming, aren't I…." James grinned but didn't say anything. "Look, if you really are James and this isn't some exceptionally bizarre nightmare, then how did you, how did you come and, and help against Them…," Sirius' voice trailed off, but James just shook his head, looking unusually serious.

"You needed help. I came." he said simply. "And you did most of the work against Them, not me – I just gave you a bit of a nudge." Sirius gave him another bewildered look, and he elaborated further. "They were like the dementors, Sirius – They ruled by fear, but They could be fought. You cast Them off, you didn't let Them hold you – They had nothing left to fed upon and break, so They became weaker. They weren't strong enough to hold us there, so I brought us up here. C'mon, though – it's time for you and Harry to go home."

"James?"

James looked up from where he was kneeling over Harry's limp, unconscious body – Sirius' dark grey eyes were distant, as though they were staring at something beyond him. "I'm dead, right?" he said slowly, focusing on James, who nodded slightly. "So, if I wanted to – I mean, if you wouldn't mind – I, I could just, just stay here with you, couldn't I?"

In one swift, sudden movement James stood up, strode over to where Sirius was standing, and grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you, Padfoot," he whispered, his voice slightly muffled and tears falling slowly from his eyes, "But now it's time for you to go home."

oooooooooo

:::::Remus' POV:::::

He stood up, not bothering to wipe his eyes as he turned around and began to walk slowly towards the door. Every step felt like it cost him everything he had – how would he be able to tell Dumbledore this, tell Dumbledore that it was his fault Harry had passed through the Veil? How could he explain that he had been too late to save his best friend's son?

He reached out to grasp the doorknob, then stopped. There was a strange feeling in the back of his mind, a feeling that he should wait for –

_Thunk._

:::::Harry's POV:::::

He groaned, rolling onto his side and pushing himself to his feet. It felt as though he had been beaten and bruised and trampled – every single part of him ached fiercely, but he couldn't remember why….All he could remember were vague feelings of fear and pain, and he shuddered, not trying to probe deeper.

He opened his eyes, blinking through a haze of blood and sweat as he tried to focus on the person stumbling, as though in a daze, towards him. When he finally realized who it was he smiled weakly. "Hullo, Professor Lupin….We're back."

* * *

_A/N_ - The End. 

Just in case anyone asks - no sequel is planned (to be honest I don't have any time to write a sequel) - however, if anyone _else_ would like to write one...

Many, many, MANY thanks to:

**nicc** - Visceral? You really think so? Thanks!

**Lynn-50670** - Thankee much. : )

**loonygrl90** - Yay! I _love_ it when I find out people added me to their fav list - brightens my day : ) I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the compliments!

**aither** - Yeah, everyone seemed a bit confused on that front : ) I'm glad you think it's original, I try hard to make it so!

**Eagle** - Well, it was supposed to be a bit confusing, but not too much...oh well, hopefully it's all sorted out by now.

**Nethwen** - Well, at least someone thought it was confusing in a good way : ). Sorry it has to end now, though...now I feel guilty...

**Ligia Elena** - Yep, made perfect sense. Thanks so much for the constructive criticism - I love getting it but no one seems to want to give any. Sad. I'm thinking about going back sometime soon and revising the beginning chapters, because I'm sure they're full of _loads_ of problems like that.

**Redluxx** - Aw, I felt so bad when I read your review! Of course I read it...and had every intention of updating soon...well, anywho, this review was the one which really spurred me into finishing this chapter. Thanks SO much! ::hugs::

Whew! TONS of reviews for that last chapter - I love you guys! ::sniffles:: I'm gonna miss you so much....

Bye : (


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